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  1. Case Definitions/

Open Syndrome Suspected Case of Equine Encephalitis

Authors: Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social

Location: Guatemala

Purpose #

The definition #

Toda persona que presente fiebre de inicio repentino, asociada a uno o más de los siguientes signos neurológicos: cefalea, desorientación, temblores, convulsiones, parestesias, o algún tipo de parálisis, somnolencia, alteración del estado de conciencia, estupor, rigidez de nuca y que hayan visitado regiones con presencia de équidos (caballos, asnos y mulas) o bien, haber sufrido picaduras de mosquitos en áreas con muerte de estos équidos sospechosos de padecer encefalitis equina.

Machine-readable definition #

The definition is available in JSON format following the Open Syndrome v1.0 specification:

{
   "category": "suspected",
   "definition_type": "case_definition",
   "human_readable_definition": "Toda persona que presente fiebre de inicio\nrepentino, asociada a uno o más de los siguientes signos neurológicos: cefalea,\ndesorientación, temblores, convulsiones, parestesias, o algún tipo de parálisis,\nsomnolencia, alteración del estado de conciencia, estupor, rigidez de nuca y que hayan\nvisitado regiones con presencia de équidos (caballos, asnos y mulas) o bien, haber sufrido\npicaduras de mosquitos en áreas con muerte de estos équidos sospechosos de padecer\nencefalitis equina.",
   "inclusion_criteria": [
     {
       "logical_operator": "AND",
       "type": "criterion",
       "values": [
         {
           "name": "Sudden onset fever",
           "type": "symptom"
         },
         {
           "logical_operator": "AT_LEAST",
           "logical_operator_arguments": [
             1
           ],
           "name": "One or more of the following neurological signs",
           "type": "criterion",
           "values": [
             {
               "name": "Headache",
               "type": "symptom"
             },
             {
               "name": "Disorientation",
               "type": "symptom"
             },
             {
               "name": "Tremors",
               "type": "symptom"
             },
             {
               "name": "Convulsions",
               "type": "symptom"
             },
             {
               "name": "Paresthesias",
               "type": "symptom"
             },
             {
               "name": "Paralysis",
               "type": "symptom"
             },
             {
               "name": "Somnolence",
               "type": "symptom"
             },
             {
               "name": "Alteration of consciousness",
               "type": "symptom"
             },
             {
               "name": "Stupor",
               "type": "symptom"
             },
             {
               "name": "Rigidity of neck",
               "type": "symptom"
             }
           ]
         },
         {
           "logical_operator": "OR",
           "name": "Travel history",
           "type": "criterion",
           "values": [
             {
               "name": "Visited regions with presence of equids (horses, donkeys and mules)",
               "type": "epidemiological_history"
             },
             {
               "name": "Suffered mosquito bites in areas with suspected equine encephalitis deaths",
               "type": "epidemiological_history"
             }
           ]
         }
       ]
     }
   ],
   "keywords": [
     "Equine encephalitis",
     "North America"
   ],
   "language": "English",
   "location": "Guatemala",
   "open_syndrome_version": "1.0.0",
   "organization": "Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social",
   "published_at": "2025-02-27T17:02:03Z",
   "published_by": [
     "Open Syndrome Initiative"
   ],
   "published_in": "https://opensyndrome.org",
   "references": [
     {
       "citation": "Protocolos de Vigilancia Epidemiológica Enfermedades Zoonóticas. Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social. Guatemala. 2018.",
       "url": "http://bvs.gt/eblueinfo/VS/VS_008.pdf"
     }
   ],
   "scope": "broad",
   "status": "draft",
   "target_public_health_threats": [
     "Equine encephalitis"
   ],
   "title": "Open Syndrome Suspected Case of Equine Encephalitis",
   "version": "1.0.0"
 }

Using the Definition #

Healthcare organizations can implement this definition through:

  • Direct integration with surveillance systems
  • API endpoints for real-time validation
  • Manual case verification processes

Next Steps #

We encourage:

  • Clinical feedback on the definition criteria
  • Technical feedback on the implementation format
  • Suggestions for additional symptoms or signs
  • Reports of implementation experiences

Get Involved #

We welcome contributions and feedback from the community.